Emirates resumes passenger service to Nigeria, ending two-year suspension

Dubai-Lagos service is operated with a Boeing 777-300ER

Dubai: Emirates, Dubai's flagship airline, has resumed daily passenger flights to Lagos, Nigeria. This follows a two-year suspension that started in October 2022 due to a dispute over blocked funds.

A Boeing 777-300ER will service the daily Dubai-Lagos service, said the airline. An official delegation, led by senior official Emirates officials Adil Al Ghaith, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Central Asia; David Broz, Senior Vice President of Aeropolitical and Airline Industry Affairs and Sami Aqil Abdullah, Senior Vice President Emirates Airport Services Outstation and Business Support, were on the maiden Dubai-Laos flight.

The official delegation from Nigeria onboard the flight also included Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria; Zayyan Ibrahim, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Dubai and the Northern Emirates; and Adewale Babatunde Awolesi, Head of Chancery Consulate General of Nigeria.

To support travel to Dubai or onwards, Emirates will also facilitate 48-hour and 96-hour Dubai visa applications for travellers from Nigeria, an offer that is exclusive to the airline.

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Soon after landing, the airline hosted an exclusive event for VIPs, government officials, key representatives from Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Airports Authority, Customs, Police and the Airforce, trade and industry partners and corporate clients.

Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates Airline, Adnan Kazim said, "This has been a long-awaited moment, and we are excited to resume operations in Lagos. We will help reconnect travellers seamlessly to and through Dubai with a consistent, world-class experience onboard."

"We are committed to making this route a success and look forward to contributing to the Nigerian aviation industry's growth and offering travellers and businesses more choice and connectivity to key destinations across our network," Kazim added.

The daily service has been scheduled to optimise connections to and from key points in Europe, the US, the Far East, the broader Middle East, and GCC, streamlining business and leisure travel to and from Nigeria.

The Nigerian Minister of Aviation, Keyamo, said, "We are pleased to welcome Emirates back to Nigeria. Emirates has become a global brand, and Nigeria, the most populous black nation in the world, is the sure destination for all major airlines. So, this is a mutually beneficial relationship, and we look forward to many years of seamless operations for the designated airlines of both countries that will ply the route."

Moreover, Emirates SkyCargo will support Nigerian businesses by offering more than 300 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity in and out of Lagos every week into key markets such as UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Bahrain.